The Legacy
by KateJK
Summary: The Imzadi legacy left by Will Riker and Deanna Troi is discussed by a future generation.


CHALLENGE RESPONSE: THE LEGACY

SUBJECT: R/T

RATING: G

DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns it all. I'm just playing in their backyard. No infringement intended.

SETTING: At Starfleet Academy, far in the future.

FEEDBACK: Please!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This piece is a response to a challenge posted by AStory to the ImzadiAll list back in October of 2003. She posited the questions of how would Will and Deanna's story be told and what makes it so timeless. This story is a first stab at responding to those very well-put queries.

It was mid-day at Starfleet Academy. The cafeteria bustled with the lunch-time comings and goings of cadets and staff. It was hard to find a quiet spot away from the clatter and din of the meal-time crowd. But in a far corner, behind a potted plant, sat two second-year cadets. Both of them human, one was male and the other female. They were lost in a world of their own, focused as much on each other as they were on their meals.

"So you're one of the Rikers!" exclaimed Randi Walters as she propped her amused face on her arm. Her acquaintance blushed slightly, and then attempted to clear his throat.

"So you figured it out," he said, a rueful expression on his face. He looked down and shook his head. Randi reached out and put her hand on his. Giving it a loving squeeze, she said softly, "Hey, that's nothing to be embarrassed about. You're you, Ian. I love you for who you are, not for what name you happen to bear."

"You're sure of that?" Ian asked uncertainly. Randi smiled comfortingly, brought Ian's hand to her mouth and kissed it. Then they both quickly looked around; fraternizing among cadets was still frowned on as much as it had been in the original Riker's days at the Academy. Once they satisfied themselves that no one had seen their little affectionate gesture, they returned to their conversation.

"You can bet on that, Ian," she smiled at him. "I mean, how long have we been together now?" She searched his face with her dark, earnest eyes.

"Since the beginning of the school year…," he answered softly, locking his clear blue eyes onto her dark brown ones. She smiled again.

"That's right. And you might as well have just changed your name all together for all that your last name means to me. You're still the same Ian Riker now that you were before I learned what your background was," she said as she stroked her thumb gently across the top of his hand.

"Okay," Ian said as he offered a tentative smile. His was met by a reassuring smile on Randi's face. "Okay, then," she said and gave his hand another squeeze.

Her dark eyes remained locked onto his bright blue ones as they sat silently. It was a pregnant but pleasant silence that reigned between them for several minutes. Then, without looking away, she began to talk.

"You know, Ian, I'd almost think I was empathic just now," she said softly.

"Why do you say that, Randi?" he asked sharply, the word 'empathic' catching his attention.

"I could almost feel something essential about you as I watched you," she answered.

"That's an interesting choice of words," he remarked. Then he continued, "But don't you think that may just be due to our close relationship? You know, lovers just knowing what one another feels?"

"Could be," she answered distractedly. Her eyes glazed over as she became lost in thought.

"Ian, there's a story that's made the rounds here at the Academy for ages. When I think about us being lovers," she smiled at him once more, "I think of this story. And while I know we have a special relationship, one very dear to me, I wonder if we will ever be able to have what I've heard about."

"Which story would that be, Randi? There are loads of tales that have become legendary around here," Ian said, being fairly certain about which one she had in mind.

"Well, I think it involves someone you're related to," she offered tentatively. She didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable again about his family background. Ian nodded and smiled warmly.

"Yeah, I know which one you're talking about. That would be the story about my great-grandfather and great-grandmother," he said, his eyes twinkling with the warmth of pleasant memories.

"Uh-huh," she replied, "that's the one. William Riker and Deanna Troi. Did you ever know them, Ian?"

"Not really. They died when I was fairly young. I know they had a special relationship, but I've learned more about it here at the Academy than I ever did in my family." It was now his turn to become lost in thought. He tried hard to remember his great-grandparents. But he had been so young when they passed away. All he could remember was a tall bearded man with a booming voice and a petite woman with depthless dark eyes, not unlike Randi's.

"I know they were both in Starfleet at one time. And judging from some of the legends I've heard here, he had one hell of a tenure at the Academy and in his early years in Starfleet. I wonder if this is where he picked up that nickname?" Ian offered.

"You mean 'Will the thrill'?" Randi giggled. Ian laughed, humor dancing in his merry blue eyes. "Yep, that's the one," he said. "Sounds like you've heard some of those same stories!" Randi nodded knowingly.

"Well, some people are just cut out for that stuff, I guess," he sighed pleasantly. "Not the rest of our family, though. In fact, I'm the first Riker to enter Starfleet since my great grandparents."

"That makes sense," Randi commented. "That's probably why I didn't connect you with the Riker legend until now.

"And it's just as well, too," Ian agreed. "It's hard enough making my way through the Academy without having to be constantly compared to him or them."

Just then, the sight of another cadet approaching them caused them to cease talking. It was Mardon, a Benzite. Like Ian and Randi, Mardon was a second-year cadet.

"Mind if I join you?" Mardon asked pleasantly. Ian and Randi smiled and gestured to the remaining empty seat at their table. Mardon took a quick breath from the atmospheric mister strapped onto her chest, then sat down. She looked inquiringly from Ian's face to Randi's.

"We were just talking about Academy and Starfleet stories and legends," Randi said, offering a welcoming smile. Mardon nodded.

"I've heard quite a few of them, myself," she smiled. "Which ones did you all have in mind?"

"Well, one of the biggies that's been making the rounds for years is a terribly romantic one," Randi began. Mardon smiled and nodded.

"I'll bet you mean the one about that special couple… um…Riker…Will Riker and, uh…Deanna Troi," Mardon said. Ian and Randi smiled in acknowledgment.

"Yep, that's the one. Quite an item, those two," Randi agreed. Looking quickly at Ian, Randi then asked Mardon what she knew of the story.

"The tale, as I've heard it, is really lovely in its simplicity. Riker was a Terran lieutenant in Starfleet. He was stationed on Betazed for a while and met Deanna Troi. I know he somehow saved her life…," Mardon related before Randi interrupted.

"I heard he saved her from Sindareen raiders," Randi interjected. Ian and Mardon nodded.

"Yes, that's right," Mardon said. "And then Will Riker fell in love with Deanna Troi. Only it wasn't just love…" Mardon's voice wandered off as she suddenly became lost in her thoughts.

"No, it wasn't," Ian said softly. "It was more…It was something called 'Imzadi'."

"'Imzadi'?" Randi asked.

"I heard that word a few times when I was growing up," Ian explained, "but I never knew what it meant until I came here."

"What does it mean?" Randi asked, staring intently at Ian.

"It's a Betazoid word meaning 'beloved'," he answered softly. And before either of his companions could open their mouths to speak, he added, "But it also has a deeper meaning."

"What's that?" Randi inquired gently.

"It also means 'the first'…The first not only for intimate relations, but also to touch the soul of another…," Ian responded quietly.

"What I heard," Mardon interjected gently, "is that if you are Imzadi with another, if you have touched that person's soul, you have forged an eternal connection with that person. I guess you might call it becoming soul mates."

"Yeah, right," Ian nodded, "eternally connected. And in Will's and Deanna's case, their bond carried an extra dimension."

"Was it that they could blend their inner selves telepathically? That's what I heard," Randi stated. Ian and Mardon nodded.

"Yes," Ian responded dreamily. "It's as if they carried the other person's essence inside. And they could hear one another telepathically. It's because Deanna was part Betazoid and empathic herself."

"Wow!" Randi exclaimed. "What an amazing combination…You've got love, like anyone. But then you have this visceral blending with another's inner being and thoughts. Almost as if two hearts are beating as one…Incredible!"

"Yes," Mardon began to speak again. "But the funny thing about it is that it was ages before they had the sense to live in accordance with that bond."

"I heard he stood her up early on, and then it was years before they saw one another again," Randi offered.

"Yep," Ian said. "Then they ended up serving on the same ship…"

"As friends," Mardon completed Ian's thought. "For years, just as friends."

"But still with the Imzadi bond, right?" Randi asked. Ian and Mardon nodded. "But things did eventually change for them," Randi added.

"Indeed. Look at me, I wouldn't be here if they hadn't," Ian laughed. Mardon stared wide-eyed at Ian. Only then did she make the connection between their story and Ian's last name.

"So you're one of …," Mardon sputtered.

"Yep," Ian laughed harder, "'the' Rikers!" Ian clapped a friendly hand on the Benzite's shoulder. "Just don't hold it against me," Ian snickered and gave Mardon a wink. Flustered, Mardon quickly took a deep breath from her atmospheric mister. Then the smile fled from Ian's face.

"No, what they had…," he began.

"…And finally began to enjoy after many years," Mardon added evenly.

"…Was something special and unique." Absently, he stroked his clean-shaven chin, unaware that he was imitating his great-grandfather's habit with his beard.

"I heard that such bonds were really rare, that that's part of what makes this story so special," Randi opined.

"Yep, that's what I've heard too," Ian said. "But think about it…Even if such a bond was rare, that alone was not reason enough for their story to take on such legendary proportions."

"You got that one right, Ian," Randi agreed quietly. "It's not just the infrequency of such an occurrence. It's also the fact that they lived better than half of their lives as two inner beings, two souls, merged into one."

"Add to that," Mardon interjected, "the fact that they spent so many years pretending as if they could ignore their bond."

"I heard that a trip into the Briar Patch took care of that," Randi snickered. Mardon and Ian joined in her laughter; because of the well-known effects of the Briar Patch, Federation contact with that quadrant of space was still restricted.

Ian laughed, "Yep, it would…Not that I wouldn't mind at little trip in there, myself." He gave Randi a momentarily lascivious glance. Mardon looked from Ian's face to Randi's, and then giggled, "I think I just missed something."

"You know," Ian began, suddenly in a more speculative manner, "being in love is a remarkable thing." He looked meaningfully at Randi, who blushed slightly and looked down at the table. "There are times," he continued, "where I could almost believe that I could feel my beloved's feelings in my heart. And there are other times where something about her warms my inner being…" He stretched his hand across the table towards Randi's hands. Mardon watched silently, understanding immediately who Ian was speaking about.

"Now imagine being able to have that kind of experience of someone be your constant inner reality. That you are not merely warmed by your love for the other, but also by her very inner soul. Constantly. That is what I understand the Imzadi experience to be. And I envy it," Ian said wistfully.

"As does anyone with a romantic heart and a craving for love," Randi answered gently, wrapping her hand around Ian's outstretched fingers.

"Do I see another relationship in the making here?" Mardon asked as she cleared her throat. Ian and Randi laughed. Winking his eye at Mardon, Ian said, "That's a story for another time, friend. And perhaps in time, it too will become legendary. Who knows?"

The End.


End file.
